Challenges Pastors and People Face During the Holidays

Tis’ the season to be jolly, right? Well, for some of us, but not all of us. While the entire world seems to glitter in tinsel, some people sit caves of gloom during the holidays. It’s easy to forget that suffering takes no vacation at Christmas. So, not to be a killjoy, but perhaps to awaken us to some opportunities around us, here’s five challenges that pastors and people face during the holidays.

1. Fatigue

Let’s face it, the holidays can be devoid of both holiness and rest. Many of us face an onslaught of office parties, children’s performances, church programs, and travel. For all of us–especially pastors expected to attend or officiate every event–the pace and activity can be exhausting. Chances are we were tired coming into the season, so it can feel as if the season of cheer is about to do us in. How can we make Christmas and New Year’s a real period of rest?

2. Resentment

One effect of fatigue is resentment. Rather than participate in the season’s rituals, we can develop a “Bah! Humbug!” attitude. The recital looms over the horizon and dark clouds begin to brew. Another sermon needs to be written and the heart fights in resistance.

3. Loss and Grief

Chances are some of us have lost loved ones in the past year and this Christmas will be the first one since their death. Everything will be different. All the celebrations will actually prompt mourning. And the family gathering won’t quite be complete. It’s a challenge to muster up seasonal vibes when all you can think about or feel is that real loss and grief from the past year or more. It’s a challenge to make sure that we mourn with those who mourn–even during holidays.    Continue at Thabiti Anyabwile

The Gospel According to Peanuts

Click here to read more of The Gospel According to Peanuts:

What people don’t know is that the Christmas special almost didn’t happen, because some not-so-smart television executives almost didn’t let it air. You see, Charles Schulz had some ideas that challenged the way of thinking of those executives 46 years ago, and one of them had to do with the inclusion in his Christmas cartoon of a reading from the King James Bible’s version of the Gospel of Luke.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

As far back as 1965 — just a few years before Time magazine asked “Is God Dead?” — CBS executives thought a Bible reading might turn off a nation populated with Christians. And during a Christmas special, no less! Ah, the perils of living on an island in the northeast called Manhattan.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” was a groundbreaking program in so many ways, as we learned watching the great PBS American Masters series on Charles Schulz, known by his friends and colleagues as “Sparky.” It was based on the comic strip Peanuts, and was produced and directed by former Warner Brothers animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for Snoopy. . . .

There was a standoff of sorts, but Schulz did not back down, and because of the tight production schedule and CBS’s prior promotion, the network executives aired the special as Schulz intended it. But they were certain they had a flop on their hands.  Keep Reading >>>

The Mystery and Miracle of Christmas

It is only 17 days until Christmas.

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are all behind us—which means that, at least as far as retailers are concerned, the Christmas season is now in full swing. Visit your local coffee shop, take a trip to the mall, or just drive through your neighborhood at night, and it’s easy to see that the so-called “Christmas spirit” is alive and well in American culture.

Some of the ironies of our culture’s fascination with Christmas are especially evident where I live in Southern California.

• It hasn’t snowed here in years, but snowflake decorations are everywhere.

• Reindeer don’t live anywhere near us, yet my neighbors have several in their front yard (of the plastic variety).

• For that matter, we don’t exactly live in an evergreen forest. (The desert tends to be more “ever-brown.”) But, thankfully, local warehouse stores ship in Christmas trees by the truckload.

• All of this, so that for one month out of the year Southern Californians can pretend that we are walking in a winter wonderland.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is something very fun about all of the excitement and buzz that whirls around Christmas. A leisurely stroll past festive storefronts while holding a warm cup of coffee, or a nighttime car ride to go look at Christmas lights, these are some of my favorite things about Christmastime. Add in the joys of time spent with family and friends and Christmas becomes one of my favorite seasons of the year.

But there is also a danger in all of this: distraction. It is the danger of being so caught up in the celebration that we forget why we are celebrating . . . or more importantly, whom we are celebrating.  Keep Reading >>>

Loving the Pastor’s Wife

One of the most important and most overlooked people in a church is the pastor’s wife. She is usually not on the organizational chart, does not have a formal job title or job description, and is an unpaid volunteer. But her ministry can make or break her family and church. Read all about her HERE

Domesticated Transcendence

From Michael Gerson writing in The Washington Post:

Christmas has become a kind of alternative religion, offering watered-down versions of profound theological doctrines. Its miracles are found on 34th Street, not in Bethlehem. The visitation of Gabriel has become the visitation of Clarence, assuring us that it is a wonderful life. The modern cult of Christmas offers a domesticated form of transcendence. Naughty or nice instead of good or evil. A jolly old elf rather than an illegitimate child, destined for an early death…

I choose to take a more liberal view of the Christmas cult. Its tacky materialism can be unattractive. But the desire for Christmas miracles and visiting angels – for Tiny Tim not to die and for hooves on the rooftop and for George Bailey to be the richest man in town; for just one night of calm and hope – are not things to be lightly dismissed.

‘If I find in myself,’ says [C.S.] Lewis, ‘a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’ In this argument, the sentimental desires of Christmas are hints and rumors and reminders of a birth that somehow represents their culmination. Put another way: The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.

Santa Claus with the Baby in Bethlehem (Part 2)

In honor of St. Nicholas the gift giver, Christians began to celebrate December 6 (his feast day) by giving presents. The tradition developed over time.  For good boys and girls, St. Nicholas would come in his red Bishop’s robe and fill boots with gifts on the night of December 5.  For bad boys and girls St. Nicholas was to be feared.  In highly catholic parts of Europe, St. Nicholas became a deterrent to erring young children.  In Germany, he was often accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht (farmhand Rupert) who threatened to eat misbehaving children.  In Switzerland, St. Nicholas threatened to put wicked children in a sack and bring them back to the Black Forest.  In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas’ helper would tie them in a sack and bring them back to Spain.  In parts of Austria, the priest, dressed up in Christmas garb,  would visit the homes of naughty children and threaten them with rod-beatings. At least nowadays, he only checks his list! Continue Reading>>>

Keeping Christ in the Holidays Takes Little Effort

A number of America’s holidays have Christian overtones, particularly Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Because these holidays originated as times to celebrate God’s graciousness to us, it is not all that difficult to restore their original spiritual meaning. This will happen only if we value doing so and are willing to expend a bit of energy. I would like to share some considerations and suggestions.

My first consideration is that we become comfortable with the secular. As followers of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves in the world, though we are not of the world. This means we must walk the tightrope of participating in our society and its decent (good or neutral) ways, while at the same time refraining from its wrong ways.

Gift-giving, decorations, Christmas cards, rich treats, a Christmas tree, touring light displays, or gorging oneself with a Christmas meal are all part of the fun. Secular is not necessarily evil, but secular is not enough.

My second consideration is that we remind ourselves that we are not enslaved to traditions that may negate a truly blessed Christmas. We need not incur amazing debts or keep up with our siblings by matching extravagant gifts. Although most of us want Christmas to be a family time, we are free to dissent from family customs when those customs are offensive or counterproductive to our own families. Continue Reading>>>

Xmas - A. W. Pink

Your Grandma was Right: All Things in Moderation

The holiday season is here!  This is the time of year when we overeat and strap on a few extra pounds. But it doesn't have to be. Especially if you allow God to convict you about what eating is really all about.

The good

He made you dependent on food and water, so it is good to hunger, thirst, and then be satisfied. Being hungry even draws us to the Lord (Deut. 3).  
He made the plants and vegetables we eat and the animals that provide meat and dairy (Gen. 1:11-13, 20-25). Continue Reading>>>

A Word about Family Tensions and the Holidays